


Pineapple

by deanello



Category: Naruto
Genre: Cooking, Demisexuality, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentions of Kakashi with Female a Character, Minor Injuries, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-24
Updated: 2019-11-12
Packaged: 2019-12-07 00:27:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18227453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deanello/pseuds/deanello
Summary: He watched the rise and fall of his chest, pulse running steadily through his veins. Kakashi marveled at how full of life and lightness this man could be.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, thanks for reading! Just a heads up this story will include explicit content in later chapters but will have warnings in case you want to skip those parts.
> 
> *There is a couple paragraphs that mention Kakashi with a female character sexually in the past during this chapter*

He “It appears I am the boisterous victor of this round my eternal rival!” Gai proudly announced as he pinned Kakashi to the ground. His eyes were bright and shining with pride at his victory. They had been sparing all day under their usual terms, another day another challenge. Kakashi had really only lost because he was getting hungry, it was an hour past his usually dinner time and he was growing impatient with the stand still fight. They had been at it for hours as the pair were fairly evenly matched. His stomach growled as he lay on the ground, he couldn’t fight properly when he was hungry and the hard earth beaneath him was uncomfortable. 

 

Kakashi could smell the dirt and sweat in the air and a peppery scent that was distinctly Gai. He looked down at Kakashi with a blinding smile bright like the sun. Gai laughed, a deep rumbling in his chest filling the air between them “Looks like you owe me dinner my friend!” His shinny black hair clung heavily to his forehead and his cheeks were flushed from exertion. 

“Yeah Yeah, a deals a deal” Kakashi murmured with a dismissive wave of his hand. Gai extended his arm to help Kakashi up and together they began back in the direction of the village. 

The streets were bustling with people on the way home from work and school as per a usually evening in the leaf village. It had been a beautiful spring day, the cherry blossoms were in bloom making the air smell sweet. Everything was turning lush and green, Kakashi always loved the spring best. It was like a new beginning and that was a beautiful concept, it filled him with hope for the future.

They turned the corner and arrived at a little curry place that Gai loved, it was just a small squat building with 8 tables. They were always warmly greeted by the staff, the elderly woman at the entrance coming over to say hello and chat with Gai the second they walked through the door. He was one of the most frequent customers, everyone in the place knew who he was. The restaurant was always packed but they never seemed to have to wait long to be seated. 

The food was delicious as always, Gai order the spicy beef curry while Kakashi opted for a more traditional chicken curry. He ate vigorously, rice and curry quickly satisfying his rampant hunger. Gai talked throughout the meal, mostly about youth and eternal rivalry, he cast Kakashi a toothy curry stained grin as he spoke. Kakashi was never very talkative but secretly did take pleasure in listening to Gai.

Gai always did everything passionately and when he got talking it was almost like an inspirational speech at times. Kakashi nodded and added in a “hm” at the appropriate moments. It was nice to spend time with Gai, he filled the awkward silences that often accompanied being around other people. He understood that Kakashi was more a listener than a talker and he seemed to be content with it, never pressuring him to change. 

It had taken a long time to build the companionship they shared. When they were just children Kakashi considered Gai nothing more than an annoyance. He was always showing up to challenge him to different contests, his goofy smiling face never loosing hope that Kakashi would give in. 

Of course eventually Kakashi did give in and the rivalry began. At first that was all it was, they didn’t spend time together outside of training and competitions. Over time they started to spend more time together. Gai worked his way into Kakashis life and started to break down the walls Kakashi put up.

Gai became Kakashi’s closest friend, though they had never really talked about it. Kakashi smilled, getting lost in thought about his silly persistency to become his rival and eventually friend. If he was being honest with himself he was his best friend, the bond they shared was unlike any other.

Gai stopped talking and stared at Kakashi for a moment. “What are you in such a good mood about?” His expression must have given away his daydreaming. 

Kakashi glanced up to find Gai looking at him with a soft smile. “I was just thinking about how obnoxious you used to be when we first met” Kakashi playfully raised an eyebrow. 

“Ah yes, our rivalry does go back quite a long time now doesn’t it?” Gai raised his eyebrows dramatically and stroked his chin in thought.

“Do you remember that time you spent a whole day trying to convince me to let you come over for dinner, first time ever?” 

“Of course, how could I forget?” Gai sighed fondly and leaned back in his chair “You had just beaten me at a challenge and I had vowed to cook you dinner if you won! I told you that I made the best miso soup with eggplant in the village because I knew it was your favorite and somehow I managed to burn the eggplant and make the soup twice as salty as the recipe called for. It was my fist time cooking, I honestly don’t know what I was thinking” Gai and Kakashi bust into laughter fondly reflecting on the past memory. 

Gai had spent hours trying to figure out how to make the soup using only an old cooking book he had found around the house. It came out so badly that Kakashi and Gai decided to go out to eat instead. Kakashi remembers sitting and talking to Gai that night, he wouldn’t have admitted it at the time but it was fun. 

That was the first time they spent together outside of training and competitions. Kakashi had enjoyed himself even though it was months before he had begrudgingly agreed to hang out again. The friendship was rocky at best for a long time, especially during his time in Anbu but they had progressively started spending more time together after that. 

Now they often shared meals together and visited each other’s homes, luckily Gai’s cooking skills had greatly improved. Gai was a huge part of his life, almost like his family. 

“Well I better be getting home now, we have that mission bright and early tomorrow morning” Gai yawned and stretched his arms over his head as he stood up. It was indeed getting late, Kakashi noticed that it was dark outside already. Time always seemed to pass more easily when they were talking. 

They both parted ways and headed home. The night sky was clear and dappled with a thousand shimmering stars. Kakashi walked to his apartment feeling light as a feather, he had a belly full of curry and rice, life was good. 

He lay in bed that night thinking about his younger days and dreamt about burnt eggplant and Gai’s goofy smile.

Morning came far too early, the mission was to escort an important diplomat to the hidden sand village. It would be about four days journey as they would be making a few short stops along the way to rest. The young woman was around 30, her name was Akari, luckily she made few requests for her travel and seemed to be very easy going. 

 

It was a very a straight forward mission, the only reason that Gai and Kakashi had been assigned to it being a recent lack of missions in the village. Kakashi was actually looking forward to it, he hadn’t had much going on with all of his students off doing their own things. 

 

The storm clouds were closing in leaving a gray shadow on all of the hidden leaf village. It was a dreary day to leave for a mission but Akari had insisted they leave on time, she would be attending an important meeting upon arrival and couldn’t afford to be late. She met Gai and Kakashi happily at the gate, glancing at them both and smiling in approval. Together the group took off in the direction of their first resting stop. 

 

They made excellent time and arrived at the first stop before sundown. The little village was a welcome sight after traveling through rain showers all day. The trio made their way to the Inn where they would be spending the night. It was a familiar village that Kakashi had visited a few times. The village consisted of about a dozen buildings, all older constructions with very simplistic designs. It was a popular destination for travelers as there wasn’t another Inn for a days walk in all directions. 

 

“I’ll talk to the Inn keep, help Akari to her room.” Kakashi instructed Gai with a nod of the head. 

 

Kakashi found a young woman at the counter and payed for the two rooms, one for Akari and one for him and Gai. 

 

“I see you’re a leaf ninja, traveling for work or pleasure?” The woman addressed Kakashi with a flirty smile, looking him up and down. 

 

“Just here for work” he replied to her in a neutral tone. She was obviously hitting on him, she was quite attractive and held herself with confidence. If he were a different man he might have played along. 

 

It’s just that he wasn’t interested, he’d never really been interested in anyone enough to pursue it. That isn’t to say he didn’t find anyone attractive. 

 

One time he had a close encounter, back when he was in Anbu and much younger. He was drinking at a bar in some little village. An older woman had approached him, she was tall with long black hair that cascaded down her back and stricking blue eyes that could be seen across a room. She had walked right up and asked him if he wanted to go back to her place no strings attached. 

 

He had been a little tipsy, and he had just finished a rough solo mission and stopped to drown his sorrows on the way home. Kakashi had wanted to be the kind of guy who casually hooked up with people because he thought that was the way to be, just like the other guys his age. He was interested in sex and thoroughly enjoyed reading about it in novels. He knew he was attracted to men and women but had not yet had any experiences first hand. 

 

Kakashi had given her a cool nod and followed her out of the bar. She happened to live a few blocks away in a one bedroom apartment. They didn’t talk, and she didn’t turn the lights on when she pulled him inside the apartment and pushed him up against he door. He appreciated her leaving the lights off so she couldn’t see his face. 

 

Her delicate fingers pulled down his mask and wasted no time pressing her lips firmly to his. Kakashi put his hands on her curvaceous hips and held her against him as he kissed her back. Her breasts were soft he noticed as she pressed into him, not entirely unpleasant but not what he had pictured. She reached down and palmed the front of his pants but he was not aroused in the slightest. 

 

Something about it just felt wrong, he just wasn’t enjoying it like he figured he would have. He wasn’t sure what he had hoped it would feel like exact but it certainly wasn’t what he expected. Maybe he had wanted it to feel special or something but it was anything but. He stopped to think about it for a moment, he didn’t even know what her name was, nor did she know his. Did she even care to find out? 

 

Whatever he was doing was apparently good for her because she moaned into his mouth. He felt disappointment strike him heavy in the gut. That’s about the time that he pushed her firmly backwards and pulled his mask back up. She looked at him, stunned and without a word he quickly exited her apartment and left the village at once. He didn’t make any stops on the way, traveling for hours back to the Leaf village.

 

Over time he came to realize his negative reaction might be due to the fact that he needed a deeper bond with the person to enjoy sex. It made perfect sense, he knew that sex and dating with the right person interested him. He came to realize that it didn’t matter to him that he was different from his some of his peers. 

 

Upon the time of his discovery he decided that he would remain a single virgin forever. There was no chance of him ever dragging another person into his mess of a life. Neither did he want any chance that he could loose another person, he had lost enough already, his father, Rin, Obito, and Minato sensei. He was satisfied to live out the rest of his days alone, just him, his hand and his novels. But he couldn’t deny that he would consider it now if the right person came along. 

 

He walked away from the counter before the woman could get another word in. He wasn’t in the mood for her, he was soaked to the bone from the rain and just wanted to put on some dry clothes and get into a warm bed.

 

Gai was already in the room changed into his night clothes. He wore a matching green short sleeved shirt and long pants, somehow in the same shade as his usual jumpers. Kakashi nooded and shot a “Yo” in the direction of Gai and headed to the bathroom to change.

 

It was a relief to be in some warm and dry clothes again. Gai was already laying down when Kakashi came back into the room. He was munching on some snacks he had brought along, some sort of protein balls. Kakashi plopped down on the futon next to Gai. 

 

“Hey Rival, would you care for some nutritious triple protein balls? I noticed you haven’t eaten at all on our journey” He extended his arm with the offering. That was just like Gai, always looking out for him. Even when they were kids Gai had always checked up on him, especially after the death of his father. Usually he would decline whatever assistance Gai was offering him be it was food, water or bandages. 

 

Gai was smiling at him, he was always persistent in everything he did even when it came to looking out for Kakashi. Something shifted over the years and Kakashi realized he liked having Gai there trying to take care of him.

 

He reached down and took the ball from Gai’s hand and they were actually pretty good, nothing like the ones Sakura usually made. They fell into a companionable silence after that, Kakashi pulling out an old copy of Makeout Paradise and the pair eating the food Gai had supplied.

 

Eventually Gai got up to turn the light out and they both lay down on their futons. 

 

“It’s good to be out on a mission with you Kakashi” Gai whispered as he turned over to face the other man. 

 

“Hn, you’re right” Kakashi murmured as he locked eyes with his friend. They didn’t say anything else. Gais dark eyes looked at him with something like adoration, his mouth was turned up in a soft smile. Kakashis eyelids felt heavy and sleep began to take over. He always found it easier to fall asleep when Gai was nearby. 

 

The sunlight shinning through the blinds woke Kakashi up. He woke slowly, taking time to stretch out his tense body knowing they didn’t have to leave for a few hours. He had slept great, better than most nights at home.

 

Kakashi turned over and saw Gai and his chest felt tight. He was curled up and still peacefully asleep. The morning sun was shimmery, casting shadows on his silky black hair. Still half asleep Kakashi had the sudden urge to reach out and run his fingers through his soft hair. He felt a kind of peaceful content as he looked at Gais relaxed face. It was like some switch was turned in his head as he realized that he wouldn’t mind waking up next to Gai every morning, it felt nice. His chest felt heavy and his heart felt full with fondness for his best friend. 

 

He watched the rise and fall of his chest, pulse running steadily through his veins. Kakashi marveled at how full of life and lightness this man could be. He realized he should probably stop staring like an idiot, Gai was bound to wake soon. But he couldn’t pull his eyes away, drinking in the sight and memorizing every little curve of his face. 

 

A thought crossed his mind that he should really tell Gai how much he means to him. He was Kakashis best friend and He had never even told him how much he appreciated him. He had never told him how every day it’s a little easier to get out of bed because Gai is alive and well, and he’s one of the only people he’s got left.

 

He watched as Gai slowly came around to consciousness. His breathing more irregular, no longer on autopilot. He turned onto his back and drew his body into a long line, streatching from head to toe and opened his eyes, glancing over at Kakashi. 

 

“Good morning my rival! Are you ready to depart soon?” His voice was cheery for such an early hour. Kakashi thought about how he would much rather lay in bed for a while. 

 

He gave a “Hm” in approval and the got up to begin preparation for the days journey. He would find a way to let Gai know how much he appreciated him, he just had to wait for the right time.


	2. Chapter 2

It was the fourth and final day of the journey. They were traveling on a sunny dirt road when the ambush had happened. The group were blindsided by ten men who were apparently trying to abduct Akari to prevent her from making it to her meeting in the sand village.

It happened in the blink of an eye, the men must have been using something to suppress their chakra. Kakashi and Gai had jumped into action, the duo surounding Akari to protect her. 

“Hand over the girl” snarled a gangly looking man who appeared to be the leader. Kakashi glanced at Gai, assessing the situation. They had no clue the skill level of these men and were clearly outnumbered. He decided the best bet was to fight them off and let Gai escape with Akari. He turned around and locked eyes with Gai “Get her out of here, I’ll keep them occupied.” 

Kakashi’s chidori sparked to life as he ran to engage the men. Gai had grabbed Akari and tossed her over his shoulderin one swift movement and immediately taking off at lightning speed in the direction of their original destination. Kakashi hoped that this was the right decision, he knew Gai was one of the best and could handle anything that came his way but he could never forgive himself if serious harm were to come to him. 

Most of the men went down easy, their attacks showing their obvious lack of skill. The leader was waiting at the back of the pack, Kakashi assumed he was the strongest and fought his way towards him. 

Kakashi uncovered his sharigan trying to get a better idea of what he was up against. The man smirked and pulled out a large scroll, summoning a weapon Kakashi had never seen. It was made of a purple metal, and consisted of a long pole with two chains that had spiked metal balls attached to them. He leaped forward in a direct attack to Kakashi. Wrong move he smirked to himself, this man was no match for Kakashi and his sharigan.

He swiftly dodged the attack but somehow the mans weapon managed to graze him. It had cut into his shoulder, it would need stitches but was superficial. He jumped up and over the man landing behind him. In the blink of an eye he pulled out a kunai and slit the mans throat. It was easier than it should have been, Kakashi looked around almost expecting someone more powerful to appear. 

The few men left dropped their weapons and put their hands up in surrender. They were obviously novice fighters and even their leader was no trouble to take down. He grabbed one of the men by the collar and pulled his face close to his own. “Tell me who your working with and maybe I’ll let you live.” He snarled through clenched teeth. 

The man was shaking, eyes full of fear, Kakashi almost felt bad for him, almost. “Okay please don’t kill us! We are working for a rouge group from the sand. Our leader directed us to delay Akari from her meeting. They are having a vote that could alow another vendor to take over the majority of exported goods from the village. It could ruin us!” 

A sharp pain shot through Kakashis shoulder where he had been cut, almost like it was on fire. He let the guy go and clutched his shoulder wincing in pain. The men took the moment to make an escape and ran into the woods.

“Dammit” Kakashi gritted out as he watched the men get away. He decided not to pursue them, they probably didn’t have any more info and he didn’t want to risk another battle in his current state.

Kakashi was starting to feel weak, the weapon his aponent used must have been laced with poison and it felt like he was just in the begining stages of whatever the effects might be. The pain wasn’t the worst he had experienced but he could tell he was loosing energy fast. He decided to try and meet up with Gai and Akari.

He jumped from branch to branch as fast as he could make it, he knew he’d have to be quick to catch up. Kakashi could feel his chakra levels dipping with each movement, he was running out of steam. Luckily he caught Gais scent and raced in that direction as hurried as he could manage.

“Gai, slow down!” He yelled out the second he caught sight of him in the distance. Gais large frame was surprisingly fast, even while carrying another person. He stopped the second he heard Kakashis voice and rushed to him in record time. 

“Are you alright?” He glanced up and down Kakashis form, checking him for signs of injury. “Your shoulder was injured, you don’t look well my friend, what happened?” he frowned and placed his oversized hand on Kakashis good shoulder giving a little reassuring squeeze like he always did. 

“I think the weapon that lacerated my shoulder had the ability to affect my chakra system, possibly with poison.” He calmly explained “I can make it to the Sand after I rest for a few minutes and a doctor can examine me.” 

Gais expression was full of worry, he was always so dramatic. “Ah, my rival is so cool and collected even now with such a serious injury!” His mouth was turned down in a pout, it never looked right when Gai frowned. “Mah, don’t worry I’ll be fine.” Kakashi have Gai a smile, even with his mask on Gai could always tell his expression, it came with the many years of companionship. 

Gai seemed satisfied and his frown turned into a soft smile. They all sat down for a short break under a large oak tree. The weather was still good, sunny but not scorching. Gai attempted to feed Kakashi rations from his pack, and to bandage up his shoulder. Kakashi tried to wave him off but eventually gave in and let him have his way.

After a short while Kakashi was feeling partially better so they decided to take off. They were only a few hours out from the village, but they had to stop a few more times along the way for Kakashi to recover. Gai had offered to carry him but Kakashi would not allow it, the injury wasn’t quite that bad and even if it was he wouldn’t have agreeded to it consciously if he could help it. 

The trio made it to the village at dusk, they parted ways with Akari at the gate, a pair of Sand ninja accompanying her to her meeting. Kakashi felt faint, Gai stepped in close beside him and wrapped his long arm around his shoulders to keep him upright. “Let’s get you to a Doctor at once.”

Kakashi had collapsed from exhaustion when they got to the hospital, luckily Gai was there to carry him inside. When he woke it was the next day, he could tell by the position of the sun outside the window that it was late in the afternoon. He sat up in his hospital bed feeling dizzy and disoriented. 

Gai walked through the door, his face instantly brightening when he realized Kakashi was awake. “How are you feeling? You’ve been out like a light since last night!” He chuckled and sat down in the chair that was next to the bed. 

“I’m doing better, any news about the guys who ambushed us?” 

“Always like you to get right to business my friend!” Gai clasped his shoulder fondly. His expression was bright but Kakashi could tell he was concerned for his wellbeing. “Those jokers were caught early this morning and taken into custody by the sand village.” He looked out the window “But more importantly you were treated for the poison and stitched up while you were asleep. You should be good as new in no time but you will need some time to recover.” 

“How long will I be out of commission?” It had been a long time since he was taken out of the field on medical leave. “Only for a week or two according to the doctor, I’ve been told that you need to stay in bed with little activity for at least a week once we return home.” 

Kakashi didn’t mind all that much, he wasn’t one to complain about extra time to relax but he was eager to get back to the leaf village and the comfort of his own home. “Can we head back tonight?” 

Gai looked out the window, possibly assessing the weather conditions for travel “I’ve been advised to not let you stand for long periods of time or you may collapse again. That would mean we can only head back now if you agree to let me carry you or we would have to wait a week.” Gai had a very serious tone to his voice, Kakashi could tell he was still worried about him. 

He rolled his eyes, no way was he spending another night in a lumpy hospital bed “I suppose I agree then.” 

Gai took about an hour to gather supplies for the trip home and then they were off. Kakashi spent most of the trip dosing in and out of sleep. His dreams were filled with Gai and his usual shenanigans, his burley arms wrapped around his thighs as he was carried home on his back. 

It was late when they arrived at Kakashis apartment, Gai took extra care getting him inside and making sure he had everything he needed. “Kakashi don’t hesitate to ask for my help, You can count on me my dear friend” Gai gave an exaggerated thumbs up, mouth spreading in a wide smile but Kakashi could see the concern in his eyes. “Thanks for everything” he gave a nod of his head and watched as Gai left him for the night. He was always such a good friend to him. 

The night passed uneventfully and the next morning he slept until mid day. Kakashi dragged himself out of bed feeling drained from the journey home. He knew he should probably make something to eat, he did always lecture his students about the importance of a nutritional diet. It felt like he was running on empty, he told himself that once he ate a good meal he would feel better. He opened the door to his fridge which he found was mostly bare apart from a two eggs, cabbage and a few mostly empty condiment bottles. 

He grabbed the eggs and then started making some rice in his rice cooker when he began to feel increasingly dizzy. His vision was blurry around the edges and he grasped the counter to hold himself up. He knew he was going to pass out before it happened, he had experienced the feeling of chakra drain before and was surprisingly composed. He made his way toward the living room, trying to get to his couch but fell on the carpeted floor instead. 

Kakashi woke to the smell of food, his stomach grumbled. He sniffed the air, he could hear someone in his kitchen frying up what smelled like ham. He sat up in the bed and listened for a minute until he heard someone humming to themselves as they cooked, of course it was Gai. Who else would come into his house and start cooking? 

“Gai?” Kakashi called from his bedroom, not a moment later and Gai was at his bedside looking as worried about his well being as always. “Oh Kakashi! Good, I’m glad your awake. I came by to check on you and found you passed out on the floor” Gai scanned him, checking to make sure he was okay. “You can’t stand for very long right now without passing out, maybe I should spend a few nights here In case you need something?” 

It was just like Gai to offer his help so easily, usually Kakashi wouldn’t accept at first but if he was being honest he was starving and it would be nice to have him around for a little while longer. “I suppose I have no choice” Kakashi fondly replied.


End file.
